My dad’s father had a little ritual when going swimming: he would go to the edge of the water and splash a little bit of water over his chest before getting in. He used to say he was getting his heart ready for the swim.
I tried it and it helps a lot to minimise the shock of moving from warm to cold temperature quickly. At first I thought it was a bit odd, but then I tried it myself and it made a lot of sense. It makes your swim in cold water (cold compared to the air temperature) comfortable from the start, rather than having those initial moments where you go through a not quite pleasant adjustment period.
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Lol…would you apply the same technique when it comes to taking a cold shower?